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New Calais Strike Could Close Port For Days

New Calais Strike Could Close Port For Days

Travellers on both sides of the Channel face more disruption after the Port of Calais was shut down due to further industrial action.

Ferry services to and from the Port of Dover in Kent have been hit by the strike, which started at the northern French port at 2.20pm on Monday.

A Port of Dover spokesman said DFDS Seaways services were still running to Dunkirk as normal.

A spokesman for Kent police said: "It is anticipated that due to industrial action in France the port in Calais is set to remain closed until Thursday."

Wildcat strikes in Calais caused widespread chaos last week as migrants tried to take advantage of the situation by boarding UK-bound lorries.

The Channel Tunnel had to be shut when workers broke in.

Migrant numbers close to the port have swelled to more than 3,000 since April with many attempting to clamber aboard UK-bound lorries.

A Port of Dover spokesman said: "We will continue to monitor the situation closely in liaison with our ferry partners and the Port of Calais in order to resume normal operations as soon as possible.

"Please note that there may be delays to services when the Port of Calais re-opens."

P&O Ferries said that industrial action by employees of MyFerryLink was preventing it from loading or docking its ships in Calais.

A spokesman said: "Calais Port is closed due to industrial action out of our control. There are currently no ship movements in port."

MyFerryLink tweeted that its services were "cancelled until further notice".

A Eurotunnel spokesman said its services were "running well", adding it had contingency plans in place should events change.

Customers were advised to contact their ferry operator before travelling.

Kent Police said phase two of Operation Stack had been put in place on the M20 southbound because of the industrial action in Calais.

Operation Stack is where parts of the M20 are used to put lorries travelling towards the continent in queues, to ease congestion across the road network.

It is introduced only as an emergency measure after consultation with other agencies.

James Brokenshire, the immigration minister, told the Sunday Telegraph that Britain is to build more than two miles of high-security fencing at the Channel Tunnel to stop illegal migrants from breaking into UK-bound lorries.

The lorry terminal at Coquelles, near Calais, will be protected with the 9ft police barrier previously used to secure the London Olympics and last year's Nato summit in Wales.

It is set to complete the work by the end of July.